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The (Lid)Star of the Show – a Look at Glossier’s Newest Shenanigans: Eyeshadow!

Remember that time last year at the Oscars, when stars like Taraji P. Henson & Chrissy Teigen debuted the Glossier Cloud Paint blushes? I know, it’s been a year – & then some – already. Chrissy & Taraji were not the only ones. Rashida Jones, Allison Williams…even Reese Witherspoon had the delicate creamy shades blended onto the apples of her cheeks. A smart move on Glossier’s part – the perfect way to say: “See, they’re wearing it too!”

Fast forwarding to February of 2018 – just about a year since Glossier’s Cloud Paints dropped – Glossier was on top of it. First, we got hints. Second, we got photos of celebs on the Grammys red carpet, wearing mostly Glossier – every shade/product type revealed in the captions.

Let me be honest: I’m surprised Glossier didn’t release any eyeshadows/pigments up until now. God knows there have been a lot of sneak peeks over the past 7-8 months. Swatching cards covered in glitter! A Glossier employee doing her makeup on IG live, gently applying some shimmer onto her lid, then only smiling coyly when asked what it was…I could go on, but you get the point.

When I got an email explaining the “lidstar drill” & what I (as a Glossier rep) could share online right now or wait until the campaign is announced, I’m quite sure I let out an audible scream. We were given a teaser – just some swatches on a plain white background – but I, like everyoe else who wanted this product immediately, wanted more.

I was one of the lucky ones to actually get more than I expected! A package arrived at my door the weekend before the launch of the newest Glossier product. I hastily tore it open to reveal four…test tubes? Lip gloss? Something else I can’t think of?

It was none of those things. It was Lidstar Glistening Eye Glow – or, rather, four of the Lidstars. The shades I received free of charge are called Cub, Lily, Fawn, & Slip; there are six shades in total. I now also have the shade Moon, which I purchased myself – surprise…it’s one of my favorits in the collection.

I read up the product description & decided to start testing them out. Glossier described Lidstar as individual eye shadows, saying “Lidstar lights up eyes with a wash of soft, glistening color that lasts all day….The cream dries down to a sheer veil, locking onto lids with no creasing (no need for primer). It’s one-step eye enhancement you can do every day.”

An eyeshadow that wouldn’t crease? Not only that, but wouldn’t crease even if you were wearing a primer? Sounded too good to be true – so, of course, I was skeptical. Most cream shadows I’ve owned have creased quite badly or flaked off over time. Doing the “crease” test was on my priority list as I started thinking about how else to make as reputable review as possible. I came up with these criteria:

When wearing Lidstar for the first time, put it on in the morning before your early class & don’t take it off until the evening – 9-ish or so

This will help determine whether or not it’s truly long-lasting

NO EYESHADOW PRIMER ALLOWED! I want to see what these babies can do without any help

I will take some photos of my eyeshadow throughout the day, to see if any creasing/flaking/patchiness is noticeable

Try mixing & matching the shades – coming up with cute combos, just like I tried (& still do try) combining Cloud Paint shades!

As with most things Glossier, Lidstar is very “easy.” It’s a product you could pull out of a bag on your way to *insert occasion* & be able to make a shimmery eye look. Some are more opaque than others, but it’s important to note that these are not matte shadows. That, in fact, was what made me so skeptical of Lidstar’s staying power. “A liquid with glitter in it? I don’t think that’ll work in the crease of my ey – wait, this looks…really good!”

It is “really good.” It also is quick & easy. I applied it the same way the models on Glossier’s Instagram page were doing: sweeping across my eye with the lip gloss wand-type applicator & then tapping it gently onto the lid/crease/brow bone/inner corner. They don’t “set” as quickly as a liquid lipstick might, for example – but they do set at some point; it’d be impossible for them to have any staying power otherwise. Still, the time between application & “setting” is not that narrow. You can breathe! It won’t outrun your finger tips. Glossier calls this their “Softlock Technology,” which means that each Lidstar shadow contains a special coating that “allows the formula to lock onto lids for 12 hours without creasing, fading, or smudging.”

I’ve said enough. Let’s get to business: the wear test.

Wear test

I applied Lidstar at around 8:30 a.m., just before I left my place for the first class of the day. I made sure to pick a day in which I’d be moving around. The shadow might stay put if I’m sitting on my bed all day, I thought, but using it on a busier day will truly be stress-tested. I used the shade Lily, “a sheer lilac base with blue and violet pearls.” I applied as I mentioned above: like a lip gloss, I swiped it across my lids, then tapped it in. I made sure the coating was dry, then applied another few sweeps to see how vibrant it would be. Lily is certainly one of the more translucent shades, but With a few coats, it’s definitely noticeable – in a good way.

Lidstar in Lily – just after the shadow “set.”

After a whole morning of wear & tear at school, I came back to my place before my last class of the day. I’d done a quick check in my school’s bathroom, & noticed no creasing. Additionally, I was worried that there might be “fallout,” since Lily is a sheer glittery shade. Nope! Thanks to that setting technology, you shouldn’t be seeing any glitter around or under your eyes – unless you put it there on purpose. At home, I had a closer look. I noticed that there was a small patch very near the lashline on my left eye, but my right eye looked just as good as it had in the morning. I later figured out that it was because I didn’t apply Lidstar close enough to my lashline.

I headed to my last class, finished up, then came home. I took a quick glance – the one patch on my left eye was still there, but other than the color fading just a bit, I could see no difference. I can absolutely guarantee that there was no creasing whatsoever! This immediately added several points to its score. It really is an easy thing to pop on in the back of an Uber, in your drive-thru, at home…you get it.

I didn’t do a detailed analysis until 8:30 p.m. that night. That way, I’d be able to test the 12-hour claim to its full effect.

Once again: no creasing, no fallout, nothing. It looked pretty in the crease (which is difficult for a shimmer shadow to accomplish) – there was just that one patch by my lashline, which had gotten a tiny bit bigger. I wondered why this was – then, after watching an application video again, figured out that I hadn’t placed the wand close enough to my lashline – hence the “patch” which was in reality just a bare spot.

Small patch evident right at lashline

Encouraged, I tried a more opaque shade the next day, making sure I applied it snugly near my lashline. Success! This shade was Fawn, the one worn by Beyoncé. It looks rather simple – just a brown-ish shade with not quite visible shimmer to it (in the tube) – but on the eye, it’s magic. I was able to create a whole look with this single shadow – first, I used it in the “traditional way,” using the wand directly on my lids. Next, I put a tiny bit on an eyeliner brush to put on my lower lashline. The results were sophisticated-looking, polished – & it had taken less than five minutes.

Wearing Lidstar in Fawn + Lily

For the benefit of the doubt, I’ll give Lidstar a 9/10 on staying power, just because of the spot I missed…& that was on me. Other than that, I’d had no problems with staying power, creasing, fallout, or fading. After Lidstar day two, when I’d made a combo (Fawn & Lily) I immediately ordered the Lidstar shade Moon. These are extremely fun to play with; extremely fun to combine or just wear solo…& they all look really good on the lids.

Speaking of colors – which Lidstar shades did I like best, & which ones didn’t sit so well with me?

Shades

In order from least favorite to most favorite:

Cub – “a rose gold with warm shimmer effect.” Oddly enough, this seems to be a site favorite, as this shade is currently sold out on Glossier’s site. I don’t think that Cub is an ugly shade, but to me, it just looks like another red-brown metallic eye pigment, & there are some other rose gold shadows I prefer to this one. Still, if you’re “bad” at eyeshadow (no such thing!) & would rather have a more popular color that’s easy to use, this one might be the one for you. Or – maybe you’re a rose-gold fanatic, & this screams your name. The formula is good; the pigmentation is good. It’s just not one I’d personally pick myself.

Slip – “a sheer baby pink with golden highlight effect.” This one was a shade I fully expected to be my favorite – again, I was surprised. Not a bad shade; I love a shimmery pink shadow, but it didn’t stick out to me as much as the others. It’s one of the more opaque shades, along with Cub, Herb, & Fawn. If you’re looking for maximum color payoff, one of the four shades mentioned above would suit you very well.

Moon & Lily – “the sheerest cream base with blueish opalescent glimmer,” “a sheer lilac base with blue and violet pearls.” I can’t pick which of these are better! They’re both favorites of mine. I’ve been liking glittery eyeshadow lately, & these are nice options, as they give you some actual sparkle while staying put; like I mentioned, no fallout here. Moon is gorgeous on its own; however, I’ve been using it most for a “halo effect” by tapping it in the center of my lid, no matter what other eyeshadow I’m wearing. It’s an easy way to amp up an eye makeup look, & it’ll stay on. Lily is also beautiful by itself; I’ve been mostly wearing it as a single. Still – one of the best combos I made with Lidstar shadows was using Fawn as a “base,” then putting Lily in the middle of my eyelid with several coats. The result? A brown, shimmery look with a duochrome flash in the right lights. It looks really sophisticated, but – like I’ve said one hundred times by now – these are user-friendly. If the concept of creating your own eye makeup looks rather than using just one shade frightens you, these would be nice to expand your horizons with if that’s what you wanted to do.

Fawn – I know, I know. It’s the most “boring” one; at the same time, it looks incredibly unique. It’s easy to blend into the crease, giving the illusion that you’re using more than one product; it works really nicely with all of the other shades; it’s just incredibly versatile. While Moon & Lily are the “fun ones,” Fawn is practical. It’s also pretty. It’s also easy to apply. It’s also really pretty. Did I say that?

Herb – “a smoky green with yellow gold pearl.” This is the one shade I do not have yet; I will be purchasing it soon, though, especially after seeing how unique it looks. It’s not transluscent, so there’s a lot more pigment to it; simultaneously, it contains a lot of gold glitter. I think this would look really pretty with a gold highlight, like Fenty Beauty’s Trophy Wife Killawatt Highlighter. I’ve seen a few demos where it’s being used as an eyeliner; that, to me is intriguing. I’m not a fan of eyeliner; I don’t think it looks good on my eyes; I do like a touch of color on my lashline, though – so, usually I’ll end up using a shadow as an eyeliner. This looks like it’d be a perfect candidate for that style of application/preference.

Some “paper” swatches

Worth it?

Yes, absolutely! The Lidstar shadows are good for people who have little experience with applying makeup; they’re good for people who want a quick, easy look; they’re good as a combination for a more sophisticated vibe…I could go on. I’ll be greeting my final Lidstar shadow at my door later this month; until then, I am happy with these – & could go on & on about how much I like them. It’s difficult to create an eyeshadow-type product that is both easy to use & sophisticated in looks. Glossier nailed it.

Oh, yes: They may stay on for twelve hours, but will that mean you’ll need to scrub it off? Nope! Absolutely not. When I removed my Lidstar for the first time (in shade Lily, one of the more glittery ones) I was shocked at how smoothly they wiped off. It was almost traceless after one swipe back & forth with some micellar water & a cotton pad. Again, only good things seem to come with this product.

A bit less serious – wearing Lidstar in Fawn + Lily

Have you tried any of the Lidstar shades yet? If so, which ones? You should tell me your favorite, too – of course.

Try getting the Lidstar Duo – if you want to play with combos, do it. It’ll save you some money!